Underneath The Armor
by Heartless demon wolf
Summary: He's made bad decisions in his lifetime, he's not perfect but then again no one ever is in the one shot they get in this world. But he'll be damned if he let's her slip through his fingers again, he misses her. He loves her and he hopes to whoever is watching that she misses him. Even if she never tells him that she loves him.


**Author's Note: I apologize for this not being edited. This is my third favorite pairing behind Beastfire (Beast Boy/Starfire) and RobRae (Robin/Raven) I honestly wish there were more stories of this pairing because they are a very honest couple, please don't follow this story as it is a one-shot and there will be no more chapters, maybe I'll write more of this pairing after I'm done with my other Teen Titans stories. Please leave a review to tell me what you thought, I worked very hard on it and I'm very pleased with what I wrote, have not written this much in a really long time, enjoy.**

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Temperature dropped in the air slightly, meaning it was going to be a cold morning for Jump City, California but Cyborg honestly didn't mind, allowing his body to be fully charged before unhooking the cable that connected to his chest, now peaking at max efficiently before tossing it behind him, knowing it was durable enough not to break as it hit the cold floor, the clock on his wrist displaying it to being around seven in the morning.

Rolling off the table with a yawn and his boots hitting the ground roughly he stumbled out of his room his only human eye on the right side of his face blinking slowly in an attempt to get the gunk that had formed underneath it out before he gently wipe it away with a large, mechanical finger.

Shuffling towards the Ops Room for breakfast, he was surprised to find Beast Boy and Starfire up, as opposed to the usual routine of Robin and Raven, the teenage alien humming a foreign song to herself while making pancakes, flipping the fried batter carefully with the spatula in her right hand and cracking the music that flowed through the small kitchen from the portable radio beside her up slightly, not being aware of another presence coming towards them.

Beast Boy's sensitive ears noticed the sound coming to the right of him and the familiar heavy steps that accompanied them while he looked at his girlfriend's rear hidden by the long light blue shorts she wore as well as covered by her panties with a small smile.

"Morning Cy, you're up early." The changeling spoke slowly before turning his eyes from his adorable alien princess to look at his best friend and the small group of superheroes second in command.

"Yeah, I could say the same about you, BB. What are you two doing up with the sun barely rising? Thought the birds would have beaten you to the punch, you know how Robin is like a zombie unless the alarm goes off or he has his coffee." Cyborg retorted with a grin, taking the seat on the bar stool next to the morpher.

Beast Boy could only shrug, crossing his arms, one over the other on the table then resting his head on it, his eyes going back to watching his girlfriend make breakfast.

"Just couldn't sleep I guess, Star was having a nightmare so we just got out of bed and came here. To tell you the truth I'm not really hungry right now so she's just making some food for herself, unless you want something, man." He answered nonchalantly with a yawn, the older boy beside him looking at the one he considered a little brother before training on the one he thought of as a sister.

"Uh, sure...I can eat, if that's cool with you, Star." Cyborg asked gently seeing his orange skinned friend nod, turning around she smiled and took a few steps to speak with the two of them across from her.

"That is fine, Friend Cyborg. I am only having two but I shall make as much as you wish, if you don't mind getting out the butter and syrup for me, please." Starfire questioned softly making his only response to stand from the stool and do as she asked, answering that he just wanted four if that was ok with her, again she only acknowledged him with another nod.

Opening the refrigerator, he quickly took out the required items needed to complete the small meal, along with a bottle of mustard for Starfire and a carton of orange juice for himself, having to pass by her quietly to reach the cabinets which housed their plates, glasses and fine China for special occasions not to mention the wine and shot glasses for special nights, they were getting older and reaching the legal age to consume alcohol after all, but did not buy any as none of them were twenty one years of age just yet.

"So...want to tell me about this nightmare, Star?" Cyborg questioned gently, pouring himself a large glass of his beverage while she slowly slid her second pancake onto a small paper plate, her expression emotionless, almost mirroring Raven's as she placed the plate on the small island table near Beast Boy whose head rested on his bare arms.

Cyborg not even notice his green skinned friend had his gloves off for once, in nothing but his merchandise boxers and a black Deadpool t-shirt, both of them barefoot as Cyborg noticed Starfire wore one of Beast Boy's faded red t-shirts, the logo disappearing from constant washes as well as her boyfriend's shorts.

"If it alright with you, Friend Cyborg...I'd rather not speak of it. It's not that I don't-

"Star...it's chill, I didn't want to pry, plus Grass Stain over here seems perfectly capable of comforting you, I was just curious." He interrupted her softly causing Starfire to look at him, a genuine smile gracing her features.

"Thank you, Cyborg." Her tone was one of relief and left no trace of the hesitation when he asked her, making him laugh loudly, the sound echoing through the large room abruptly being silenced by the half android himself, knowing his other companions still slept.

As Starfire went back to making more fried batter now singing along with the song on the radio knowing the lyrics fairly well and Cyborg went back to his seat with his glass, putting the butter and syrup near his friend as he took a sip he looked over at the two he cherished like family and reminisced to when they had become more than friends.

Admittedly it came after they had defeated The Brotherhood Of Evil, Beast Boy took the serious leadership forced on him in bringing a few other members towards the battle, took out The Brain himself and won the war which would have cost millions of lives.

After that, through some shoving, literally in Raven's, Bumble Bee, and Jinx's case he stepped up and admitted his feelings for the Tamaranean woman before him, his mind truly prepared for getting rejected as he would later tell Cyborg but was severely surprised when she had told him that she secretly harbored the same attraction towards him as well, in case Robin never admitted his own feelings for her Cyborg remembering she told him, making him swear that he would not tell Beast Boy or Robin which he with a heavy heart agreed knowing she felt bad choosing his best friend as a rebound but it was not his place to tell them such.

If Cyborg was being perfectly honest with himself, he was glad his little green buddy found a backbone and for once chose not to hide behind poorly worded humor as he conveyed his romantic side to the young woman who felt the same to him, the two had much in common, they could help each other grow and could show a side to themselves they had never shown anyone else.

They had their faults, got into arguments every once in a while, one of the fights almost breaking them up until Robin, Cyborg, Aqualad and Kid Flash had screamed at the changeling to be a man and apologize.

Thankfully he had done exactly that, and though Cyborg really did not want to admit it to anyone, least of all his family, he still had an audio file of the two...making love for the first time that night, which he seriously needed to delete.

Now only six months later the two were still going very strong and he was really happy for them, wondering to himself if he could ever find such a strong rooted bond in a partner as they had.

Grumbling to himself that he should have asked Jinx to dance at the enormous party the entire team held at the end of their victory, his shoulders sagged knowing that though she was not with anyone at the moment he had no right contacting the newly reformed Titan and asking her to grab a coffee or see a movie with him.

He had really hurt her the night after he betrayed the H.I.V.E, even though he knew it was a mission and she would no doubt understand now, at least he prayed she would forgive him for breaking both their hearts.

With a loud sigh, he emptied his glass, just now noticing the four steaming stacked pancakes in front of him on a large, snow colored glass plate with a fork and knife making him grin, turning his head to see Beast Boy gone and laying on the large purple U shaped sofa, his right arm over Starfire's shoulders and the television turned on, volume low so it could not be heard pass the Ops Room and watching Spongebob Squarepants, laughing lightly to the show's ridiculous but entertaining humor.

Cyborg refilled his glass, ate his food inaudibly to not disturb the couple before he got up and clicked off the radio that Starfire must have forgotten, placed his dishes in the sink with the pan the alien used to make it, putting the butter and syrup back in their respectful place and went to the Control Room to check over the tower surveillance, as well as their financial budgets they had beside all the cameras and monitors hidden in a small, wooden cabinet Cyborg and Robin had created together.

Entering the large area, he quickly looked over the cameras that showed the Gym to which he found Robin working out in, all of their bedrooms which each of them could shut off remotely every time they wanted privacy from the confined space.

He swore he saw a shift of the covers from Robin's bed in his bedroom but after a moment of nothing else moving dismissed it as his imagination, noticing that Raven was up and mediating above her bed which was of no surprise and Terra naturally sleeping somehow having Silkie in her grasp who was sound asleep also making him remember how the metahuman had saved them all before being rescued herself, barely.

It had taken months for the teenager to prove herself to them, Beast Boy, Starfire and even Raven which shocked them all to defend her and allow Terra her room back, though she was not given a communicator for quite some time until the day she had stumbled upon the team fighting the White Monster again and aided them in it's defeat which officially earned her a place among the Titans, again.

But this time she was here to stay for good, and had proven herself time and time again to being a reliable and valuable member, sparring with all of them during training and getting in on the jokes and pranks Beast Boy and Cyborg did around the tower.

She was a wild child, and had a lot of similar interest with Beast Boy which came as a surprise to the changeling when she had said she wished to merely be friends, she cared deeply about him, but not in the romantic sense that she once thought, and though it took time, he accepted her offer of true friendship.

Again Cyborg pondered to himself if he should call Jinx and ask her for another shot, he was worried he did not deserve it, but then he argued with himself that if they could give one to a former traitor like Terra that he should be given the opportunity to make amends with Jinx and maybe, hopefully restore their friendship back to the spark they once felt for each other.

Shaking his head, he suddenly felt guilty that he was ignoring her own emotions in order to repaired the past, it wasn't right, he knew...but it's honestly what he longed for one day.

After sifting through the current month's rent and bills at an agonizing but very careful eye which would be paid by their electronic currency, leaving them a bit more then usual for their own personal needs, Cyborg checked the cameras again and saw Robin now getting done with his work out and exiting the Gym while Beast Boy and Starfire had started watching a different program.

Raven was now done meditating and was coming out of her room to most likely make her tea and have breakfast and Terra yawning loudly, moving the sleeping giant larva moth to the other side of her bed before she turned behind her and opened a panel that separated from the wall and blacked out the camera to her room, probably to get dressed.

Hearing Terra swear to herself from the audio speakers, though not high in volume from the girl or the speakers, Cyborg ignored it, stretching his hands high over his head and yawning as he began to wonder if Robin and Raven had any romantic attraction towards each other.

The more he thought about how much Robin had done for Raven though the more he believed it was possible but the night of the party, six months ago Robin was talking a lot with Argent, he loved her accent, he told Cyborg later, they had a lot in common and Robin thought it was a great thing that she shared his love for music, video games and action movies so Cyborg supposed that maybe Robin just did not feel that way for Raven as Cyborg knew for a fact she did.

He'd seen the look on her face when it was not covered by her hood the more Robin and Argent talked, it was the same look of lost Cyborg held for Jinx, a silent but heart breaking what if lingering on the back of their minds, he felt bad for his little sister, Raven pinned for Robin as much as Starfire used to wait hand and foot for him a long time ago but the Boy Wonder never noticed neither of his female teammates affection like they wanted him to.

It made Cyborg angry at how he did not just shake his leader to make him realize how much both Raven and Starfire wanted him to notice them, but it was not his place to interfere in who Robin wished to date, besides Raven was honestly getting along very well with Herald after the war, with both of them able to go to different dimensions they could explore other realms that neither of their friends could possibly imagine and she enjoyed how he gave her space and allowed her to be herself.

They were not dating like Beast Boy and Starfire or Robin and Argent, who had been together for about two month now due to their current busy schedules but both Cyborg and Herald knew it took patience for Raven to open up and Cyborg had a feeling his friend was willing to wait until she was ready to be more than friends.

The thought of his small family growing up almost brought a tear to his eye but he held it back, he was proud of them all and even then it brought an aching pain to his heart at not even having the balls to talk to Jinx, he knew Bumble Bee harbored some feelings for him but he honestly looked at her as just a good friend, in the same style that Terra looked at Beast Boy, nothing more, nothing less.

He knew Terra had no interest in finding a boyfriend or girlfriend, which surprised them all to learn she was bi-sexual, as she was simpely enjoying the second chance she was given by her friends, it also helped that Robin, Kid Flash, Speedy, Aqualad, Bumble Bee, himself, and even on occasion when they came to visit and have a wild night at the club Hot Spot, Kole, Herald, Bushido, Jinx and especially Jericho were excellent wingmen or woman respectfully for the metahuman, what could he say, for a mute the boy's got game.

Laughing to himself over the thought of a particular memory that happened last month, Cyborg sluggishly stood from his chair and went back to the Ops Room, looking at his wrist which opened up and displayed that the time was close to around noon, he had forgotten how much work it took to look over their money issues and he was getting thirsty.

Once the hydraulics for the door made it slide open when a hiss, he entered to see Robin clean and in a new uniform, playing Jet Set Radio on two player with Argent, who he didn't even know had arrived, he must have been so busy looking over each document carefully that it escaped his notice that someone had even entered the tower or perhaps she had already been here and he was simply not aware of it.

Looking to his left he spotted Raven playing chess with Terra who was getting better each day she played, no where near Cyborg's or Raven's level just yet but she was definitely improving, Beast Boy and Starfire were gone, if he had to guess they were watching t.v. in his room or perhaps doing obscene things to each other that made their hormones lose control making him sigh before walking towards the refrigerator for a soda.

"Hey, Cyborg you want to go next round? Argent's kicking my ass pretty bad and I got a meeting with the other Titan towers and our mayors in about a half an hour." Robin asked over his shoulder while his girlfriend laughed beside him at his comment.

"Sure man, I'm down. Yo Argent, want to hit up something else after you give your boy his dignity back?" Cyborg chuckled making Terra, Argent and even Raven laugh at the joke as the young woman in question suggested playing Gears Of War on co-op making him agree eagerly.

Opening his orange soda and taking a small drink, he sat on the couch and waited for the two to finish their game, his Titan communicator in his left hand, idly looking at the call screen with Jinx's name highlighted.

He sincerely wanted to tap it, to hear her voice, to...he didn't know what the hell he wanted to do or say.

"God, why is this so hard?" The thought ran through his mind before he frowned, a sudden sense of dread washing over him as though eyes were on him before he turned around and screamed seeing Terra looking over his shoulder.

"Terra?! What the hell-"

"Calm down, Cy. Damn, looked like you're about to have a heart attack. Just wanted to see if you wanted to play some chess in case Argent doesn't feel in the mood to play any more games." She snickered to herself at the pun, knowing full well that the heroine from New Zealand was getting annoyed at her boyfriend's slow pace, it took him three weeks to even get him to hold her hand.

"Why wouldn't she? She's waiting for Robin to-"

"You do know we are both right here, don't you loves?" Argent's slightly irritated tone shut them both up before Terra merely shrugged.

"I have trouble thinking people can hear me when they're distracted, so sue me." The blond girl spoke lazily, her hands in her short jeans before she jumped over the couch landing beside her friend.

Argent could only snort in response while Robin ignored the entire conversation until his communicator finally rung, making him abruptly stand up, pause the game, kiss his girlfriend on the cheek who blushed and did a physical fist pump in the air which caused her to be embarrassed at the sudden eyes on her from the gesture and leaving Robin to run to the Evidence Room for some privacy.

"So Cyborg, tell me about this girl you had your eyes on. Starfire says you cared a lot about her, former villain I believe, think her name was Jenny, right?" Argent asked, her tone light but Cyborg could sense the mischievous glint in her eyes as she turned to look at him, Terra having a grin similar to the Cheshire Cat on her face at the mention of a potential lover for her friend.

"Her name is Jinx and I don't exactly know what to tell you, it's a long, tragic story that I don't really want to-"

"Aw, Cy…._please_. We gotten to know each other well enough, just tell me if I have to slap a bitch or not." The silver skinned woman pouted making the half andriod roll his eyes at her 'charming' expression.

"It's nothing like that, Silver...we just...its not like I wanted to...shit, it's complicated, alright?" He whispered softly, his human eye looking away from her not seeing the serious stare she gave him or Terra's smile fade to be replaced by a broken, painful glance at her friend as she tried to repress the memories assaulting her mind.

"Call her." Raven's sudden voice made all of them jump in shock, Argent and Terra both turning their heads to look at the Titan who was busy typing a message on her communicator, one could only guess it was Herald she was texting but she didn't even bother to give them a glance.

"You know it's not that easy, Rae." Cyborg put serious emphasis on her nickname making the two teenagers look back and forth from the two like they were in a tennis match while the two in question didn't even bother to look the other in the eye, they both chalked that up to a long, hero stressed friendship and being like family, Terra's arms now resting on the back of the sofa as she watched.

Raven only clicked her tongue once with a small shake of her head before she sighed loudly, not wanting to see her big brother get so damaged over what could have been.

"The longer you wait, the less chance you'll have of reconnecting with her, Victor." She whispered, Cyborg finally looked up and turned around to face Raven, his human eye widening in astonishment at Raven's sage hinted words plus the added bonus that she never called him by his real name unless she was truly serious, but she was right.

Perhaps it was time to stop moping and do something about it, he looked at the small yellow device in his hand and after a few seconds of hesitation mulled over if it was right or not before Terra suddenly reached over and clicked on the girl's name, making the communicator ring loudly in his hand, trying to reach the other person, Cyborg looking at Terra's with a stunned and frightened look on his face like she had just said she could breath fire before another voice pierced through the silence.

"Jinx here." The warm, snarky tone she spoke made him feel like he had been flung into the past to the time he was Stone and it almost made him drop the only link to the woman he so desperately wished to hear from, though he was worried the feeling would not be mutual.

"Jinx, hey girl, it's um, it's…..uh..." Great, he could only think sarcastically, all the brooding, heartfelt confessions he wanted to say to her and he had forgotten something as simple as his own name.

"Cyborg," She drawled out slowly with a giggle making him simply want to melt "Alright then, um, something you needed? Kind of got someplace I need to be." Jinx questioned her words a bit more harsh than she intended making Cyborg wince.

"Where are you headed?" He automatically blurted out wanting to smack himself right before Terra did, as he composed himself, ignoring the girl behind him shaking her hand in pain.

"I mean, anything I can do to help you?" Cyborg asked a bit more relaxed, not sure what sort of persona he wanted to go for before finally settling his face to a curious expression.

"Um, well if you don't mind picking me up, I guess I can-"

"I'll be right there!" He sprouted his mouth off again this time causing both girls near him to smack him hard trying to get him to slow down, then gritting their teeth to keep from shouting in pain forgetting that Cyborg's body was made of titanium.

"I mean, give me directions and I'll come pick you up." He said, eerily calmer making the young woman on the screen raise an eyebrow at his earnest words before rolling her eyes with a smirk giving him the directions he needed to see her and with a small bye she cut off the connection.

Cyborg was sure his heart just stopped, right before being smacked on the head by all three woman in the room at how quick he was to please the former villain.

"Now I'm just thankful for Robin taking our relationship so slow, I mean by God, Cyborg could you be any more desperate?" Argent wailed laying back on the couch with a groan, Terra lightly thumping her head against the end of the sofa and Raven rubbing the area in between her eyes with her thumb and middle finger slowly, her eyes closed.

"And everyone wonders why I like being single, come on, Cy! You couldn't have been more obvious if you had a sign on you reading 'Take me back!' Woman want a chase, not a...earth man I love you like a brother but seriously-"

"I think you may have abandonment issues, Cyborg. Maybe one of us should go with you so she doesn't end up hurting you-"

"Girls, I got this. Come on, it's your big brother, Cyborg...I got this." He laughed half heartedly to himself getting off the couch giving them a confident grin while they returned with a blank stare at him causing him to swallow nervously, ashamed and embarrassed.

"Beast Boy said that to Starfire a week ago, she made him sleep on the couch, she even locked him out of his own bedroom with Robin's permission, after she angrily threatened him, you don't got this, Vic." Terra replied with a firm stance or as much as she could do sitting down, crossing her arms over her chest, looking at him with pity before shaking her head slowly.

"Should I engrave that on your tombstone after you leave the tower?" Argent asked with a devilish smirk, he turned and glared at her before looking at the other two women who were looking at him worriedly.

Raven could only sigh loudly, mirroring Terra making Cyborg terrified that he had really screwed up if Raven was disappointed.

"Was it really that bad?" He whispered looking at the small, yellow device in his palm with a dejected gaze.

"Yes!" The young woman cried out to him as he groaned smacking his forehead with his right hand and dragging it slowly down his face.

"Don't worry about it, Cy. If she's anything like Star told me, she won't take the crazy look in your eye to heart, just go meet her, calm the fuck down and be natural." Terra laughed with a sneer making the half android roll his eye at her advice.

"Wait, does this mean we won't get to finish our game?" The blond metahuman added with a frown making Raven shake her head.

"You two can play on the t.v. or the chess set if you want, I'll accompany Cyborg so Jinx doesn't accidentally kill him, we'll be back soon." The half demon responded as the two woman nodded, they knew that their friends were a very tight knit pair and treated the other like blood so they had no reason or actual right to suggest otherwise, not after everything they been through.

Raven had to walk around the couch and physically push her older brother to get moving, which did absolutely nothing as she didn't have Starfire's strength so she snapped at him to hurry up, making him finally look up from the portable phone/GPS and without another word sprint out of the room, the empath trailing behind with a roll of her eyes.

Argent and Terra's eyes followed their friends before glancing at each other, Terra finally grabbing the forsaken controller on the wooden coffee table in front of her as Argent went to pop in the game Cyborg wanted to play and joined her friend with a glare, a playful smirk on her lips.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you, American?" The energy manipulator and half alien taunted making Terra scoff.

"Please, I'll show you how gaming is really done, Goth wannabe." She replied with a devious grin as the girl beside her narrowed her eyes.

"Oh it's on now, earth bender." Argent spat grabbing the other controller, Terra blew her a raspberry and the two quickly got into the heat of the visual pixels.

* * *

As the female Titans started a video game war with each other, Cyborg and Raven walked down the corridor, passing Beast Boy's room which emitted slightly loud moans and panting even from outside the metal door, making the two blush heavily and forcing them to quicken their steps to reach the elevator, Raven pressing the button for the garage rather urgently, Cyborg silently guffawing at his friend, knowing she could sense the waves of lust from the room, her cheeks crimson as the damn door finally closed and sent them to their destination.

"No. One. Word." She whispered slowly with ferocity towards the half metal man behind her who held up his hands in surrender, trying his hardest to keep himself from laughing out loud.

At last they made it to the T-Car, the sorceress all but running to the car, opening the rear door and slamming it, her eyes wide in mortification with what they had heard, Cyborg did not even try to keep himself from being ludicrous and chortled entering his custom made vehicle, starting the engine, putting it in drive and rushing to the directions Jinx had given him at a speed that should have been illegal.

Raven's shame and guilt were quickly thrown out the window as she digged her nails into leather seat, her teeth clenching together firmly and her eyes widen to their full length, showing the tiny blood vessels and whites of her organ of vision, containing all her willpower to keep from screaming the high pitched scream of a little girl in her panic.

The car smoothly weaved and dodged out going traffic while it's owner looked back at his adopted sister and smirked in the rear view mirror while she had to keep from roaring at him to keep his eyes on the road.

Suddenly, like a bucket of ice water got thrown into his face, he remembered through the fun of driving where he was headed and his confidence drained swiftly from his face.

"Think she'll forgive me?" He asked over the sound of a horn being blown from the driver to the side of him which he promptly ignored.

Raven was half surprised they had not gotten pulled over by the cops yet and was able to look over her shoulder to see if they were being chased before Cyborg had spoken, she glanced at him seeing he was looking at her again, a depressed tone of voice being flung her way making her instantly snap back to her usual expression, despite her heart pounding like a drum and her nails leaving claw marks into the seats beside her.

"You made a mistake, it happens to all of us, Cy. You're only human...well, you know what I mean. I was able to feel Jinx's guilt and abhorrence at herself the night of the party when she should have talked to you, besides you were looking for her and honestly no one can blame you for being ashamed to face a former lover, just don't do anything stupid." She replied in a vacant tone, her eyes which her friend quickly looked at again were serious but candid making him nod.

They arrived at the spot faster than Raven thought they could, she glanced at the sky which was already darken with large gray clouds, the flash of lighting being seen a second after and thunder being heard right after that as her body stiffen to keep from jumping and they saw a figure ran past the car, rain being pelted hard onto the asphalt and surrounding buildings and vehicles.

Cyborg noticed the familiar lemon colored accessory attached to the retreating body as the person lifted up their dark blue jacket to shield themselves from the rain, pink hair being visible for a millisecond then covered up completely.

Cyborg didn't hesitate, he floored the gas hard and sped towards the now running woman he knew was Jinx, driving ahead of her a foot before stooping and rolling down the passenger side window, screaming her name making the former leader of the H.I.V.E Five pause and look into the car before she scrambled to open the door and literally threw herself in, her momentum made her land face first in between Cyborg's legs making his face turn scarlet as the second teenage sorceress to occupy his automobile readjusted herself into her seat.

_**"Where the fuck were you?!"**_ The girl Cyborg had his heart set on shrieked at him, eyes narrowed to slits, her chest heaving as she attempted to catch her breath and her face configured in a snarl that made him want to cry with the freezing liquid dripping down her body and ruining her normally horse shoed styled pink hair, making the tips dangle to the ground but damn it if she didn't look like a pissed off angel to his eyes.

"We just got here but you ran right past us, hun-"

_**"Hun? Mother fucker I'm not your god damn baby mama! Do you have any fucking idea how cold it is outside, Cyborg? I can't believe-"**_

"Jinx, calm down." Raven's monotone voice interrupted Jinx's rant as she quickly glared at the one who dared to keep her from screaming at the man she was furious with, her black collar with the violet charm etched into it swinging as Jinx swiveled her head to look at Raven.

Jinx wanted to shout and swear at the heroine as well but she remembered at that exact second whose side she was on, and that the empath was no longer her enemy, if she was being honest with herself she still was a bit miffed at Raven simply for being what she could not and having the power she possessed but she kept that to herself, turned around, slumped into the seat and folded her arms tight against her body, shutting her mouth so she didn't make the ones who offered to help her upset.

There was silence in the car for a few seconds, it was awkward and unbearable for all of them until Raven cleared her throat, glancing at Cyborg who was looking between the two woman in exasperation forcing him to calm himself down and give a small smile to his companion.

"So where is it you needed to go again, Jinx?" He uttered softly, not wanting to dig himself into a deeper hole then he was already in while his crush moaned, her head tilted upwards and looking into the car's roof with a tired expression.

"Let's swing to Downtown, I need a drink." Jinx replied causing Cyborg to blink slowly, trying to process her words, he opened his mouth to say something but snapped it closed instead.

Lifting a hand to turn on the radio and allowing a catchy, quick rhyme song to pulse through the speakers as he settled back into his chair, checked for on coming traffic, automatically clicking his turn signal on as he went into the street, switching it off after he was done with the turn and drove to the area Jinx wished to go.

He shifted his eyes to look at her every once in a while, seeing the ash colored young woman bob her head to the beat with a smile, looking at the clouds above from her seat, in a better mood apparently then a few minutes ago and did what she could to rinse out her hair to it's normal shape while Raven sat back, closed her eyes and relaxed now that they were not rushing at an alarming break neck speed.

Entering into the slums of Jump City, he grimaced at the little areas of decay he saw in his town, that which he was able to see past the rain anyway before Jinx pointed him to a medium sized brick building, graffiti sprawled on nearly every inch of the side they were on, pieces of debris and dried blood littering the cement which was quickly being washed away by the rain and a quarter of a neon sign on the front that Cyborg could not even decipher but he swore it read 'Oblivion' as he shrugged and parked the car, the parking lot about a quarter full as Jinx grinned and ushered the two to come with her.

Raven ignored her, pulling a small, black colored book from the hidden stitches of her indigo cloak and whispering a spell that encased the roof of the car with her usual onyx hued magic that lit up the car with a bright flash which dimmed until it did not blind them and Raven was able to read her short novel.

"You go ahead, I'll stay here and make sure the car does not get stolen...again." She stressed the last word out slowly making the two gulp loudly remembering Gizmo's stunt as Cyborg turned off the car, handed the keys to Raven telling her to not let anything happen to his baby and exited the driver's side, his date quickly running along side him and entering the building.

Holding open the door for Jinx, she stepped inside with a wink, making him blush lightly with a laugh and walked into the establishment behind her, the area was poorly lit but it was enough for Cyborg to see they had came into a bar which was nearly empty, the humans that did occupy the tavern looking severely depressed, cold, lonely and appeared as though they had abandoned all hope, the scene could made Raven have the attitude of her emoticlone, Happy.

Cyborg understandably felt uncomfortable in such a place and was about to open his mouth to ask if they might have been able to go somewhere else before Jinx took his hand and guided him to one of the many empty booths separated throughout, the music that was heard over the speakers as they sat was a relaxing rock song to which the half android did not know the name to but did what he could to appease the woman across from him.

"Hey, Melody, can I get two beers please?" Jinx's voice was like a canon echoing from the area they were at through the bar, Cyborg did all he could to keep himself from hiding in fear and a hint of shame that the two underage heroes would be thrown out as a skinny, African American woman with slightly graying black hair, wearing a dark green blouse and blue jeans with enticing brown eyes walked to their table and set two ice cold open bottles of alcohol down, looking at Cyborg with an approving eye and giving a wink to him, then glancing at Jinx and telling the two the drinks were on the house and to call her if they needed anything, walking away before Cyborg could ask her if he could just get a glass of water instead.

"Thanks Mel." Jinx muttered with a small smile, leaning into the booth with a groan as she reached her hand out, grabbed the bottle and took a swig, releasing a content sigh finally noticing Cyborg's panicked and shocked expression.

"What? I said I needed a drink, thought you would want one to, Chrome Dome." She sneered which quickly turned into a frown at her friend's stern gaze.

"I may not be twenty one just yet but I sure as hell know that we shouldn't be here, Jinx. We're Titans, if Robin finds out-"

"See, now there in lies the problem, you're scared of a boy whose younger than you, if I recall you made an excellent leader with Titans East, Robocop, hell I would've followed you." Her voice was laced with sarcasm at the beginning of her words but spoke the truth near the end, from what the man in front of her could detect anyway.

"He's still my leader, Jinx. We have a reputation to uphold and a balance to maintain...wait did you just call me Robocop? And you really think I'd make a great leader?" His angered whispering was quickly changed to confusion as the female Titan merely chuckled.

"No, I'm lying off my ass. Of course you would Cy, you're second in command of Titans West, the original Teen Titans, you're incredibly intelligent, ridiculously strong, hell of an amazing chef and I'll admit it, you're damn sexy to, Cyborg." She finished with a wink, taking another sip of her beer and making the man grin like a fool who had struck gold.

Hesitantly, he reached out his hand and took the bottle, not able to feel the cold for obvious reasons as he brought it to his lips and took a small sip, coughing at the vile taste that assaulted his throat and taste buds, placing it down and blinking in a daze, the young woman in front of him laughing quite hysterically at the sight which caused him to do the same and startle the people around them at they gave sheepish grins back as an apology.

"Hadn't had a beer with anyone since I was in high school, my dad offered me one and asked me what I wanted to do in life as we laughed and I said I wanted to clean toilets as a joke...the day before my accident." Cyborg sighed loudly, looking at the drink with a somber gaze, Jinx couldn't bare to look at him in such a dark and angry mood, the anger directed at whoever it was who took his parents away and at himself for becoming what he thought was a monster.

"Cyborg, what happened that day wasn't your fault, you did everything you could and-"

"Victor." He stated slowly as if it was the key to his entire life before shit hit the fan as Jinx raised an eyebrow, her left hand resting gently on his own mechanical one.

"My real name is Victor Stone, I never told anyone but Raven that, not even Beast Boy... but you can call me it if you want." He added, looking at her with a grim smile and she could only offer the same in return.

"Victor huh? It suits you, I like it. I would offer up my own real name but it was scrapped from me when I was put into an orphanage after I was maybe a year old, no one knew what to call me until I accidentally blew up a light bulb when I first discovered my powers when I was six, a small boy shouted out the word jinx he had learned somewhere and that's what I been known as ever since." She whispered softly as though the memory would disappear if she was not too careful.

"That's something I never told anyone, the truth for my name anyway, everyone else I lied to because I always thought it would hold me back from being a criminal...you're the first person I ever told that to, Vic." Jinx chuckled lightly before taking her hand back.

"I...I'm sorry I never meant to-"

"Shut up, Robocop, we can hug and cry together in corner when we're hammered. For now though, you're going to stop skipping around the issue of why you never bothered to get in contact with me after the war?" She glared, leaning back into the rubber with her arms crossed and her cat slit eyes narrowed, pink colored eyes flashing briefly in annoyance as she waited for his response.

He steered his nerves, taking a larger swallow of the alcohol which burn his throat but did live up to the nickname of liquid courage as he set it down, panting slightly before he thought of what he was going to say then opened his mouth.

"I was nervous, or more to the point….I didn't want to hurt you again, Jinx." His tone was firm, serious and his eye looked directly into her's before they both blinked.

"You could have at least called, it's been six months, Cy. I was waiting-"

_**"I thought you were with someone else, ok?!"**_ He shouted, making everyone in the bar jump, Jinx's eyes widen in disbelief, she frowned slowly taking her beer and swallowing a long sip, draining a quarter of the bottle before she let it down, panting.

"Who? Huh, Cyborg? Who the hell could possibly want to be with an ex criminal of one of the biggest organizations of Jump City and former leader of the infamous H.I.V.E Five?" She barked with an angered, very animal like growl accompanying her irritated state in the back of her throat.

He didn't answer, looking to the side which pissed her off even more that he was avoiding her question.

_**"Fucking who, Victor?!"**_ She screamed, accidentally unleashing a streak of pink lighting from her hand which shattered three of the hanging lights above, making one of the bartenders scream a string of curse words at the two as Cyborg shouted out an apology and swore he would pay for the damage before turning back to his crush.

"Kid Flash, ok?! I thought that you and-"

"Wally and I have never been a couple, he's bi-sexual, Vic and we're only friends. In case you didn't know which I wouldn't be surprised at because you're so busy being so wrapped up in your goddamn machines like a kid in a fucking candy story!" Jinx seethed, her eyes narrowing to mere slits again as she raged to him, her voice low enough to be heard by no one but him.

He couldn't even look her in the eye, his face turned away in shame, his hands curled into fist and his one human eye closed at being told something he never knew before.

"I could have told you if you just f-"

"Ok, I get it, you're right….I should have asked, I should have called you, I should have done a lot of things since I infiltrated the H.I.V.E, alright?! I should have asked you to join us instead of giving you the answer I did...but I can't change the past, Jinx...I can't." A single tear ran down his face as he spoke, Jinx's anger slowly diminishing seeing the nearly invincible, death defying half man, half machine in front of her crumble to a heart wrenching shell of a man she had fallen for ever since he tricked the H.I.V.E as Stone.

With grief that nearly caused tears of her own to spill, she reached her left hand and rested it on his own once more, ashamed of breaking the man she didn't even know could be more broken than he already was, his head in his left hand as he let out a sob only she could hear.

"No...you can't. But that doesn't mean there's not any hope for the future. I'm sorry, here I am angry over something that's minor compared to the crushing weight you had to bear...I'm truly sorry, Victor." Her voice was so low that he barely heard it, eventually, he intertwined their fingers and lifted his head from his hand to look at the table.

They both knew he couldn't feel the contact, yet she could tell by the glint in his eye and the ghost of a smile on his face that he felt secure in her presence, relaxed, his guard completely down for once in his life and he allowed himself to show a side no one has ever seen from the calm, collected through stubborn chief mechanic as he wiped the tear from his eye, looking at her, her own eyes brimming with tears which she held at bay.

There was a silence between them as they released their hands, Jinx wiping her eyes quickly and Cyborg taking a long drink of his beer which she copied, both the glasses now more than half empty.

"So...what's the deal with the name, Robocop?" He questioned unexpectedly making her laugh so hard he almost brought her to tears again as she tried to breathe.

"Gizmo became obsessed with machines when he was about eight, so before he became a villain, he watched almost anything that had to do with technology, including the Robocop series, I had to give you a reserved nickname, Bumble Bee calls you Sparky, everyone basically already calls you Cy, Gizmo calls you Tin Man and CyBooger, so though it's stealing a little bit...I chose to give you, Robocop, work for you...Vic?" She smirked, her normal arrogant attitude coming back into her personality as he could only laugh.

"Oh and as for what happened here tonight-"

"Never happened, and yeah, it's cool with me, Jinxy." He answered with a grin of his own making her frown as she shook her head and gave him the finger making him laugh harder.

"I'm not saying we edit out the entire conservation, Vic. I'm just saying we keep the...well, tears to ourselves...we do have a reputation to keep after all being Titans, right?" She chuckled with a wink making him roll his eye with a scoff.

"Some thing never change. Which reminds me, why didn't we get carded? We're both under age after all." Cyborg asked lightly making her shrug then scoffed herself once she saw his look of disbelief.

"Yee of little faith, alright, alright. I been coming down here since I was fourteen, right before I joined the H.I.V.E, they known me for years, the owners, cooks, bartenders have kept me off the street, in exchange I helped them serve drinks, bus tables, washed dishes and even did a bit of advertising before I caught the attention of my old school."

"Look, obviously it's worse down here then in the main parts of Jump City, every place in the world has them but here is where souls just...give up, most of the time, some do what they can to scrape by, others are born with unique powers like me and some just sort of...drift away. You look old enough to be able to drink so Melody didn't bother to card you and though you're a Titan and hero, you don't have a stick up your ass like Robin or Raven and know that life is not so black and white as the media tries to portray, right?" She questioned with an eyebrow raised.

He could only nod, impressed that she thought this all the way through as she did, if he had to guess she would have called him if he didn't do it first and she was right, it felt good to be a regular teenager again, or as much as he could and he had not had alcohol in a very long time, plus he had a feeling she wanted to talk to him alone anyway, he was glad Terra called her for him.

"So what now, Jinx...where do we go from here?" He had to ask, she looked at the remainder of her drink, chugging down the rest and burping loudly with a dark grin making him feel nervous at the look in her eyes.

"Now you try to see if you have any cash on you because we're getting fucked up until we black out, I know the bill of whatever you order from the communicator goes to Titan West and so on for East, North and South for whoever lives there and since I'm an Honorary Titan and don't live in a giant T, my bill goes straight to the mayor's office and I can't have him looking over my debt and you won't be able to get home fast enough to keep your leader from going bat shit crazy so I have to ask, Robocop...are you game?" She asked lightly, her grin never leaving her face.

"I...I meant to ask-"

"I know what you meant Victor. Indulge me for tonight though, and tomorrow we shall have a more serious talk about our 'relationship'…._please?_" Jinx said in a firm tone but her voice broke a little at the very end making the man sigh loudly, drinking the last of his beer he placed it down, opened up a small compartment on his arm and laying a nicely rolled thick stack of green cash onto the table.

"I got the sonic if you got the boom?" Cyborg chuckled with a sincere smile making the young woman giggle, waving Melody over for another round.

"Hey Victor?"

"Yeah, Jinx?"

"Before we get plastered and a very furious Raven is forced to drive us home, I got to tell you something."

"What's that, baby?"

"You're more man than machine to me and even though we'll no doubt completely forget this conversation...I'm really glad you called." She whispered, standing up half way as she leaned forward and kissed his lips, making him give into the kiss immediately, about to wrap his arms around her waist but she stopped him and pulled her lips away.

"That's all you're getting until we have our talk tomorrow...and I have my coffee, got that, Robocop?" She whispered into his right human ear forcing him to do nothing more than nod with a loving smile on his face as she leaned back, taking control and intertwining their fingers on the table as two ice cold bottles of alcohol was place in front of them, opened and the bartender taking the required amount.

"To second chances!" Cyborg announced with an arrogant smirk that could rival Jinx's own as he lifted the glass in front of him, Jinx doing the same.

"To second chances." She repeated before tapping her glass to his and tipping the amber liquid back, taking a rather impressive amount in her mouth as she swallowed, half the bottle nearly gone already.

Cyborg doing the same, and with a glint in his eye he knew he loved this woman who was unlike any other.

With one of their hands still linked together firmly and the other wrapped around yet another beer, they allowed themselves to simply bask in each other's company, having the time of their lives, an unusual feeling in the back of their minds that the two of them could carry each other along through anything the world threw at them with a flame of passion they had rediscovered within themselves for the one sitting across from them.

Of course that may have just been the alcohol talking.


End file.
